c/backyard-storage

I tracked every box I put in my shed and the number hit 47 before I stopped

Last summer I started writing down what I stored in my backyard shed just to keep track, and I hit 47 items before I lost count. Things like holiday decorations, extra tarps, and old plant pots added up way faster than I expected. I never realized how much space all that junk took until I saw the number on paper. It made me rethink what I actually need to keep and what can go. Has anyone else done a full inventory of their storage space and been shocked by the total?

Guy at Lowe's swore by those vacuum sealed bags for sheds but he was dead wrong

I was talking to this older fella in the storage aisle at Lowe's in Austin about keeping stuff dry in my backyard shed. He told me those space saver vacuum bags would work GREAT for storing my winter coats and blankets out there. Well three months later I open the shed and everything is musty and there's actually mold spots on two of the bags. Did I just get a bad batch or does everyone have this issue with those bags in a shed?

TIL stacking plastic bins wrong will ruin your tools

I had all my yard tools in these cheap plastic bins from Home Depot. Stacked them three high in the corner of my shed. Wanted to grab my loppers last week and the bottom bin just gave out. The lid cracked and the whole stack came down. Everything got scratched and bent. Learned that those bins aren't meant for heavy stacking. Especially in summer heat when the plastic gets soft. Anyone else had a bin fail on them like that?

Took my neighbor's advice to store firewood inside the shed and now I've got bugs everywhere

Built a custom shelf unit for my shed and it collapsed within a week

I spent last Saturday (like, 6 hours in the morning sun) building this fancy shelving unit for my backyard shed out of pressure treated pine. Thought I was being clever by using those metal brackets from the hardware store and some old 2x4s I had sitting around. Got everything organized, bins of gardening stuff up top, tools on the middle, even my extra pots on the bottom. Went out the next Wednesday to grab my leaf blower and the whole thing just gave way. Splintered wood everywhere, a cracked planter, and my pruners bent under the weight. I think the brackets were too small for the load, or I just drilled into a weak spot. Has anyone else had a shelf collapse on them, or am I the only one who overestimates what my crap can hold?

Just realized my sturdy plastic shed was a bad choice after 3 months of Texas heat

I bought a resin shed from Home Depot in April for $350, thinking it would beat a wooden one for moisture issues. By July the walls were warped and the door wouldn't shut right after a few 100 degree days. Has anyone else had luck with metal sheds holding up better in hot climates?

Still not a fan of plastic sheds, but I finally get why people buy them.

I've spent years telling customers at my roofing company that wooden sheds are the only way to go. Had a guy in Bakersfield last month who pushed back hard. He said his last wood shed rotted out in five years because of the heat and dry rot, and he didn't want to stain it every other summer. I argued with him at first, but then I drove past his place a week later after we finished his roof. He had a nice resin shed sitting there, looked brand new, and he was right. I still prefer the look of wood and how you can modify it, but for someone who just wants to store a lawnmower and some hoses without any maintenance, a good plastic one makes more sense than I gave it credit for. Has anyone else here switched from wood to plastic and regretted it or been happy about it?

Learned the hard way about wood vs. plastic sheds last month

I spent three weeks going back and forth between a resin shed and a wooden one for my yard in Cleveland. I went with the wood because it looked nicer next to my fence, but after one heavy rain I noticed the floor boards were already starting to bow. The resin one my neighbor got is holding up fine through the same weather and cost $150 less. Anyone else regret picking a wood shed over a plastic one for wet climates?

My DIY shed foundation was so off level it took 6 bags of self-leveling compound to fix

Found out from the hardware store guy that my yard slopes 4 inches over 12 feet, no wonder my pallet racking kept wobbling, anyone else ignore a grade check and pay for it later?

That time my pressure-treated wood shed floor rotted out in 18 months

I built a shed in my backyard in Portland back in March 2022 and used regular pressure-treated plywood for the floor. By October 2023, I stuck a screwdriver through the boards near the back corner because water pooled under the shed after heavy rain. Turns out I needed to put down a vapor barrier and gravel base first. Has anyone else had ground moisture wreck their shed floor faster than expected?

Had to decide between a wooden shed and a metal one. Picked wrong.

I needed a 6x8 storage shed for my backyard in Austin. The wooden one was $1,200 and looked nice, but the metal one was only $700 so I went cheap. Big mistake. After two summers the metal roof started rusting and the whole thing gets like an oven inside. Has anyone else dealt with metal storage units in hot climates?

That free shed from Facebook Marketplace cost me $600 in the end

I found this shed listed as free on Marketplace out near Albany, drove an hour with my truck to pick it up. The guy said it just needed a new roof, real simple fix. Got it home and started taking the old shingles off, turns out the plywood underneath was completely rotted in three different spots. Then I noticed the floor was soft too, stepped right through a board near the corner. By the time I replaced the roof deck, put down new flooring, and bought proper hardware for the doors, I was into it for over $600. The stupid part is I could have bought a decent kit from a big box store for around $800 new. Has anyone else learned the hard way that free stuff is rarely actually free?

Saw a neighbor's plastic shed buckle after 2 winters in Wisconsin, while another guy's metal one looks fine after 5 years

Is the extra upfront cost of metal storage sheds really worth it over plastic ones, or did my neighbor just pick a bad brand and the whole material debate is overblown?

Took me 3 weekends to figure out my shed was sitting on a underground water pipe

Built a 10x12 shed 2 years ago and it started shifting every spring, finally dug down after tearing my hair out and found a old irrigation pipe nobody told me about. Has anyone else hit something buried that cost you way more time than the actual project?

That plastic shed I swore would fall apart just survived 4 years

I got a cheap plastic resin shed from Home Depot back in 2020 because my old wooden one was rotting. Figured it would crack in the first winter or blow away in a storm. But after 4 winters here in Minnesota with heavy snow and wind, it's still standing solid and not even faded. The only thing I had to do was bolt it down to a concrete pad instead of using the included stakes. Anyone else have one that lasted longer than you expected?

Tried those plastic deck boxes from Home Depot...

Picked up one of those big resin deck boxes for $150 last spring to store my garden tools. After 8 months the lid warped so bad it won't close all the way and water just pools on top. Anyone else had this happen or did I just pick the wrong brand?

The shed I built 18 months ago just collapsed on itself

I’m honestly so fed up right now. My shed in the backyard out in Phoenix, AZ finally gave way after all that crazy monsoon rain we had last month. The wood was just cheap stuff from the local hardware store, and I guess I didn't seal it well enough. Has anyone else had a storage shed just fall apart on them?

Neighbor changed my mind about those metal carports

Talked to an old guy down the street who's had the same metal carport for 12 years through two hurricanes and he said the trick is anchoring it into concrete footings instead of just stakes. He told me "the frame is fine, it's the install that fails" and honestly that hit different because I was ready to write them all off. Anyone else ever have a cheap setup hold up way longer than expected because of how you put it together?

Warning about those metal carports from big box stores

I checked out a neighbor's setup last weekend and the roof panels were already rusting at the edges after just 8 months. They got it at Lowe's for around $1,200 and the bolts were stripping out too. Has anyone else had trouble with these holding up in wet climates?

That plastic shed I bought started sagging after 3 months of summer heat

I got one of those cheap resin sheds from a big box store back in May (you know, the kind everyone recommends for easy assembly). By August the roof panels were visibly drooping in the middle like a sad tent. The walls actually warped outward at the seams too, so the doors wouldn't latch right. I measured the temperature inside on a 95 degree day and it hit 140 degrees, which I'm pretty sure just cooked the plastic into a new shape. Has anyone found a material that actually holds up to direct sun in hot climates like Oklahoma summer?

The side door on my metal shed literally just fell off yesterday

I went out to grab my lawnmower yesterday afternoon and the whole side door on my beat up metal shed just came off the hinges. One of the pins rusted through over the winter I guess and the door just sagged and dropped. This is the same shed I got from a guy on Craigslist three years ago for like 80 bucks. I thought I got a deal but now I'm wondering if it's even worth trying to fix because the frame around the door is all bent up too. I ended up just leaning the door against the side of the shed for now and hoping it doesn't fall over onto my dog. Has anyone ever tried those aftermarket replacement doors for those basic metal sheds or should I just cut my losses and look for something sturdier?

Just realized my cheap resin shed was a fire hazard

I bought this plastic shed from a big box store like 3 years ago and thought I got a steal at $250. After a hot summer here in Phoenix, I went out back and noticed the wall panels were warped and the metal roof was actually touching the side. My neighbor who does HVAC pointed out how the sun was basically melting the thing and said if I had a short in an extension cord out there, it could catch quick. Has anyone else had this issue with those budget plastic sheds?

Visited my buddy's shed in Phoenix and saw a wall of rubbermaid bins with labels...

I stopped by my friend Mark's place last weekend in Phoenix, he's got a 10x12 shed packed with tools and camping gear. What caught my eye was how he had about 15 clear plastic bins stacked on metal shelving, each one labeled with a sharpie and masking tape. He said it took him a whole afternoon to sort everything out after a monsoon flooded his old cardboard boxes last summer. Has anyone else dealt with humidity ruining their storage containers, or am I overthinking this?

Finally built a shelf that didn't collapse after 3 tries this weekend

I was in my backyard last Saturday trying to stack heavy pots on a cheap wire rack I bought at a garage sale, and when the whole thing buckled and sent a ceramic planter crashing onto the patio, I knew I had to build something sturdier out of treated lumber, so I measured twice, used deck screws instead of nails, and it held up through a thunderstorm that night; has anyone else switched from store-bought racks to building their own?

Why nobody talks about pressure-treated vs cedar for outdoor shelving

I built two identical storage racks last spring, one with pressure-treated lumber and one with cedar, and after a wet summer the cedar one warped so bad I had to rebuild it while the treated one still looks like new, has anyone else had better luck with cedar holding up?